PlayStation

Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22

And so it did come to pass in the early days of the PlayStation’s existence in the United Kingdom (1996) that two fighting games based on the obscure Japanese cartoon Dragon Ball were released. And lo due to the fact no one in the UK had heard of Dragon Ball they didst sinketh without trace. But now fast forward six years to 2002 and we find that Dragon Ball Z has become a cult favourite on various UK satellite channels and those once forgotten games are now changing hands on eBay for upwards of £50. And then came a cunning marketing person who did survey the UK games market and discovered that Psone titles were second only to PS2 titles in terms of sales and they did have a flash of inspiration. And so it came to pass that the two Dragon Ball PlayStation games were reissued for a budget price. And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth from those who had just paid £80 for them on internet auctions. Here endeth the history lesson.

“Dragon Ball Z” fans without access to the far-superior “DBZ: Budokai” are out of luck if they think “Ultimate Battle 22” will satisfy their need to kick ass and heave fireballs from high above. Outdated graphics, an unfriendly (but ultimately bearable) control scheme and a shockingly bad (i.e. incomplete) localization make “Ultimate Battle 22” the lesser alternative to “Budokai” in more ways than just the 96 bits of difference between the two Sony systems on which both games appear. Not as bad as the infamous “Dragon Ball: GT” game from five years ago, but definitely reeking of the same stench of wasted potential.

Before you chastise me for being an ignorant butthole who doesn't get DBZ, just try, for a second, to look beyond that seemingly lascivious obsession with the DBZ world. If you can, you'll realize Ultimate Battle 22 does more wrong than right. Foremost, its lack of ambition will grossly underwhelm anyone familiar the series of games. What's more, the control is stiff and imprecise; and the number of gameplay modes is pathetic.

Alternant de façon agaçante les excellents titres et les jeux ratés, Bandai nous sert là un Dragon Ball Z qui fait un véritable bond en arrière dans la série. Entaché par des graphismes moches et un gameplay bien trop rigide, et se permettant l’absence d’un mode Histoire, Ultimate Battle 22 fait partie de ces softs prometteurs qui déçoivent dès les premiers instants de jeu. En espérant que le prochain opus rattrapera cet échec cuisant.

Can you name one of the most lucrative franchises around that have spurned many games, three TV shows, comics, and much more? There are only a few things around that can claim this fame, and one of them is the Dragon Ball series. Over the years, there have been many games for a variety of systems that cover this anime series, and very few have made it over to the United States. Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Battle 22 is one of these games that never saw a stateside release, until now. Is this eight-year-old title really worth it to play, or should it have stayed over in Japan? Read on to find out.

You have to wonder to yourself if this game were any good, why did they release it just on the PSX? Well you don't have to wonder. It was released on the PSX because it's the last bastion where you can get away with releasing crap like this. This game is not even suitable for the GameBoy Color.

The PS One most certainly had it's share of awful software, but a game like this being released this late in the systems life is downright embarrassing. This serves no purpose on the system (or any system for that matter) and even die-hard fans of the series will have a rough time finding enjoyment. What's even more stupid is that this one actually managed a nationwide TV ad campaign. A lot of potentially classic games coming out currently don't even get that much.

22 selectable characters, all well known and famous among kids and youngsters, are fighting each other to win - win what, you might ask, but let’s be realistic – such questions are not to be asked when talking of beat-em-up games!

Seguramente a día de hoy quizá puedas encontrar copias de Ultimate Battle 22 rondando por ahí, ya que Atari lo relanzó en 2002, si lo ves, huye de él. No es recomendable ni para fans de Goku, y menos ahora que tenemos en PlayStation 2 la genial trilogía de Dimps Budokai, la cuarta parte no-oficial Budokai Tenkaichi, y el sobresaliente Supersonic Warriors en GBA. Será por juegos...

If you want a good fighting game and still play your PSOne daily, I've got a copy of BATTLE ARENA TOSHINDEN I can loan you, or I can even get you a copy of DBZ LEGENDS which is so much better. The only reason I won't give this game an "F" is because of the original voice acting and that the game is only selling for 20 bucks. If not for that, this game should be burned.

Since there's probably some confusion about why a Dragon Ball Z game for the PlayStation is being released in this day and age, here's a little history lesson. Back in 1995, before DBZ had really taken hold in the US, Bandai, the then-holder of the Dragon Ball Z license, released its first PlayStation Dragon Ball Z game, Ultimate Battle 22. Eight years later, well after the PlayStation has settled into quiet obsolescence, Infogrames has decided to make a quick buck off its Dragon Ball Z license by releasing Ultimate Battle 22 for the first time in the US. Even by the significantly more lenient 1995 standards, the game did not look or play particularly well, and to put it mildly, it has not aged well.